I really enjoyed using the animation tools and creating a piece of work that looked almost realistic. I much preferred it 2D animation using Flash.
I think the most effective technique in the animation is the use of the reactor tool. It provides a very realistic and interesting effect that the video can conclude at. I found the reactor tool quite confusing to use at first but I managed to understand the different control parameters such as the collateral tolerance and the rigid body collection. Once I understood these I was able to grasp how the reactor worked and implement it into the castle wall.
I found using the auto key and set key very easy and it allowed me to create movement very quickly.
Making the siege machine move was easy and changing the motion track to slow using the curve editor improved the effect a lot. I had a little trouble rotating the wheels at the same rate at what the machine moved but by rotating it manually I found that I could make it more life-like.
I thought the use of cameras really brought the work to life. I only used free cameras as I didn't want the work to target a particular component of the animation. By animating the cameras I managed to make interesting perspectives, such as the camera moving through the siege bridge. I think these obscure perspectives and movements gave a more fun and interesting way of showing the work.
I think the materials made a lot of differece to the work. If I had more time I would like to add grass effect. In think this might add another level of realism to the work.
When I rendered out the work at HDTV 1280 x 720 I thought the level of clarity in the work would be better. When I edited the clips in Premiere I found that the quality didn't seem high definition but I felt that they were more than good enough to watch.
If I were to do the animation again I would render at a higher quality (either in 3DS Max or in Premiere) as I think this would make the work look more professional. I would like to create a more complex environment around the animation and add more detail to the background.
Overall I really enjoyed creating the work. I think it brings life to Da Vinci's work in an accurate way to what it would of done in real-life. I believe I have captured the works of Da Vinci and portrayed it in an interesting and fun way.
